For your interest ............. I am sure you will all find this interesting, this image was posted to me by a friend who lives in Jambaroo in New south wales.

I am aware it is a mutated gene that is responsible for its coloration (or it has consumed way to many white ants ) but I have never heard of nor seen this in an echidna before, the echidna's are pretty well protected from predation as in the predator soon gets "the point" from its impenetrable mass of spines but im sure it would have to have some disadvantage being of this color?

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Echidna

Last edited by vk4vfx on Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

So... What you guys are saying is... That if we transfer this echidna to the North Pole and start a colony of Polar Echidnas, then it wouldn't have a problem because it would camouflage with the snow and it would have minimal sun contact...

Actually it might be leucystic instead of an albino. Leucystic animals have a preponderance of white pigment and this is actually a more common genetic form to be seen in the wild since the critter is not at risk from UV rays.

If I ever get to visit the Arctic and find an frozen echidna stuck to my pac boot...I will know who to blame

i_r_e_d wrote:So... What you guys are saying is... That if we transfer this echidna to the North Pole and start a colony of Polar Echidnas, then it wouldn't have a problem because it would camouflage with the snow and it would have minimal sun contact...

This reminds me of the old saying "A white Elephant." Awesome idea, not good for much though

there is no such as "white pigment" or "green pigment" ...does anybody want a debate about that???

anyway,there are a lot of disadvantages for being an albino... one of them is the lack of pigment makes the skin unusually sensitive to sunlight and thus susceptible to sunburn and also the visual problems.